1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,800 What up crossing family? It is so good to be with you. 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,120 You guys are smart. You chose second service because 3 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:08,920 everybody who came to 1st service got baptized. 4 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,000 I preached my first sermon ever with what, underwear? 5 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,160 And we've been trying to get people out of here early so I 6 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,040 can go home and get dry. I am so glad that you guys are 7 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:18,440 here. We are in the middle of a four 8 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,400 week sermon series called Don't Take the Bait. 9 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,080 During this series we're going to be examining the role of 10 00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:27,720 faith and politics. You guys know this. 11 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:30,080 Over the next six months, there are going to be people who are 12 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:32,159 going to be losing their friendships, losing their 13 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:35,480 reputation, losing their influence, losing their peace, 14 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:39,880 and losing their minds. We want a better story. 15 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:45,040 We want to live by a better code, a Jesus code, if you will. 16 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,360 And I believe that if we do that this political season, we could 17 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,800 strengthen our reputation, we could increase our influence, we 18 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:57,720 could maintain our peace, and we could keep our sanity. 19 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,520 Our target for this series on the wall that we're aiming at is 20 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:05,960 first Peter chapter 2, verse 12. Live such good lives among the 21 00:01:05,960 --> 00:01:07,760 pagans. This is people who don't have a 22 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,480 relationship with Jesus that though they accuse you, people 23 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,200 who do have a relationship with Jesus of doing wrong, they may 24 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:21,000 see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 25 00:01:21,320 --> 00:01:24,520 I want to welcome those of you joining online, those of you on 26 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,720 who are part of the crossing inside, and of course, those of 27 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,640 you gathering at all of our different locations. 28 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,920 If you missed last week, as we were getting ready to jump into 29 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,160 this series, we put out a couple ground rules. 30 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,800 The anytime we do a series like this, we kind of put some ground 31 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:41,480 rules in play. The first one is no emails until 32 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:43,800 after the series. We want to get through all the 33 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:46,200 information before we engage in dialogue. 34 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:47,880 And most of you are really well behaved. 35 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:50,680 I only got 1 e-mail and it just simply said go Trump and I was 36 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:56,360 like that's funny, well played. OK so the second one is all 37 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,120 dialogue is going to take place face to face. 38 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,560 We want to have civil conversations about civil 39 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:06,440 issues, and we believe that e-mail, text, and social media 40 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,800 are like the worst possible platforms to communicate grace 41 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:12,640 and truth. So if you e-mail, we're excited 42 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:13,960 about it. We're going to find a time where 43 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:18,120 we can get together and talk about it #3 is we want to take 44 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:22,640 time to process the information before we reject it or react to 45 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:25,120 it. God just might be revealing 46 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:28,920 something that's for your good. He might be revealing something 47 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:31,680 that you just simply aren't ready to hear. 48 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:37,440 The Word of God is designed to help us, to encourage us, and to 49 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:42,600 empower us, but it's also designed to correct us, to 50 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:47,480 rebuke us, to challenge us. And if we are never being 51 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:52,960 challenged or confronted, we will not be changed. 52 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,160 You see, the Word of God and the Spirit of God is designed to 53 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:01,680 transform us into the likeness of the Son of God. 54 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:04,800 And so when we reject the message, we reject the 55 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,720 Scriptures. It's not just to our detriment, 56 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:13,080 but it's also to the detriment of those we love because we rob 57 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:19,600 them of us becoming who God created us to be, commanded us 58 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,880 to be. Christ died for us to be. 59 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:27,440 Last week we talked about how as Christians we have a better 60 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:33,680 citizenship and we have a better Kingdom, and this reality must 61 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:38,360 inform our attitudes, our actions at all times, especially 62 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,640 during divisive political seasons. 63 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:49,680 Today we are going to talk about the integration of church and 64 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:51,720 state. And I know some of you are 65 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:55,000 going, I think you messed up. Bear with me. 66 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:57,520 We're going to take the long way around the barn. 67 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:01,000 But the last 6 minutes of the message, it'll all make sense. 68 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,320 What I want to do first is in order to kind of set this up, I 69 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,960 need to give everybody kind of a, an American history civics 70 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:09,080 lesson. All right? 71 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,040 Now, those of you who are super engaged in politics, you like, 72 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:13,680 preach. Those of you who don't care 73 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:15,160 about politics, you like, I don't get it. 74 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:16,800 Just go on the journey with me. OK? 75 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,040 So the United States of America has a democratic form of 76 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,320 government, which means that it derives its power, its 77 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:29,040 authority, from the consent of its citizens who participate in 78 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,200 free and fair elections. That means that for Americans, 79 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,320 there is an authority higher than the president of the United 80 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:42,280 States, and it's you and me, the people. 81 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:45,480 Now, the United States of America is not a direct 82 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:49,120 democracy, but a constitutional Republic. 83 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,480 This is important because that means that you and I don't have 84 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:56,000 to vote on absolutely every single issue. 85 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:59,320 Imagine every single day us having to vote about absolutely 86 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,480 every single thing that is happening in America. 87 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:05,560 It'd be crazy. So instead we participate in an 88 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:09,680 election and we elect people into office who will handle 89 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:12,520 those voting or the all the things that need to be voted on. 90 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:15,800 And this is all put together through a framework established 91 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:19,520 by the US Constitution. Now, the US Constitution 92 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:24,480 instituted 3 branches of government, a Trinity of, of 93 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,120 government here for America in the federal system. 94 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:29,800 And you guys know this, It's the legislative, the executive, and 95 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,080 the judicial. So the legislative, they make 96 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:33,840 the laws. These are like the politicians 97 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:37,480 that you elect and the executive branch, they execute the laws. 98 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:39,760 This is where like the president. 99 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:41,560 And then you have the judicial branch, which is like the 100 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:43,360 Supreme Court, judges and stuff like that. 101 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,320 And they interpret the law, make the law, execute the law, 102 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:49,800 interpret the law. And the way this is put together 103 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,560 is that each of the branch has powers over the other branches 104 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,760 of the government, so that way it limits them. 105 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,120 So one particular branch of government cannot become more 106 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,200 powerful than all of the others through a system called checks 107 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,600 and balances. In addition to this, the 108 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:06,960 authority of the federal government is limited by the 109 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:11,880 power granted to the states in what is called federalism. 110 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:14,480 Now this is a dumb name for this because you think that this 111 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:16,480 makes the federal government bigger, but it actually makes 112 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:18,720 the federal government smaller. This is actually, if we were 113 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:20,880 naming it, we would call it statism, not federalism. 114 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,080 But they weren't asking us. They were doing this all on 115 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:25,440 their own. This was established in the 10th 116 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:28,920 Amendment of the Constitution, which is the end of the Bill of 117 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:30,640 Rights, and this is what it says. 118 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,120 The powers not delegated to the United States by the 119 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:38,680 Constitution, no prohibited by it or by it to the states, are 120 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:41,680 reserved for the states respectively, or to the people. 121 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:46,880 In other words, the bedrock of our system is the people. 122 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:50,400 It's you and me. Do you know what is also not 123 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:55,040 mentioned in the Constitution? Political parties. 124 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:58,920 Interesting. And you know what else is not 125 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:03,760 mentioned in the Constitution? The separation of church and 126 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:06,120 state. People say it over and over and 127 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:07,560 over again. Separation, church and state. 128 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:10,000 Separation Church and state. Not in there. 129 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:13,520 Let's unpack it. In the First Amendment to the 130 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:15,560 Constitution, this is what it states. 131 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:21,520 Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of 132 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:25,400 religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. 133 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:30,600 What they're saying is the state can't make a church. 134 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:37,440 That's what they're saying. They're saying a church can 135 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:39,120 operate completely independently. 136 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:43,440 Your ability to practice your religion cannot be interfered by 137 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:47,200 the state, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or 138 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,880 abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or of the right 139 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:54,280 of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the 140 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,600 government for a redress of grievances. 141 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:01,440 Out of this one amendment, we get the freedom of speech, 142 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:03,680 freedom of religion, freedom of the press. 143 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,200 We also get the freedom of assembly, which means we can get 144 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:08,120 together as a church and hang out and have a whole lot of fun, 145 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:10,400 which you guys do not appear to be having yet, but we'll get 146 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,760 there. It also means that we can get 147 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:15,360 together and do all kinds of other activities. 148 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:16,840 We go to baseball games, football games. 149 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:18,200 We can get together marching, parades. 150 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:20,520 We can even get together and protest. 151 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:23,040 And Speaking of protests, some of you might be going. 152 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:25,080 I'm just not a big fan of protests. 153 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:26,680 I think that's really bad. I totally get it. 154 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:28,240 I just need to be upfront with you. 155 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:33,000 Ark's particular vein of spirituality has been labeled 156 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:37,440 Protestant. Protestant, and we earned that 157 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:40,760 name back in the 1500s. Our vein of people kind of got 158 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:43,400 frustrated with the Catholic Church, and we kind of believe 159 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,000 that people could learn to follow God in an intimate, 160 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,160 personal relationship with God and through God's word and 161 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:50,440 through God's Spirit, we could have a relationship with him. 162 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:53,560 And the Catholics kind of had a different strategy, which was a 163 00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:56,440 Pope and tradition and the Bible. 164 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:58,520 And we were kind of like, well, we don't necessarily need the 165 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:00,200 tradition and we don't necessarily need the Pope. 166 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:01,920 We can probably just get it through the word of God and the 167 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,200 Spirit of God. And they said no, and we said 168 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:06,840 yes, and we protest and they called us Protestants. 169 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:14,480 So we're protesters. OK, now we are also given the 170 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:18,720 right in the First Amendment to petition, which means that you 171 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,480 and I have the ability to write to our congressional leaders, 172 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:24,800 write to our governors, write to our presidents and disagree with 173 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:28,880 them passionately. Say you messed up, you shouldn't 174 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,680 have done that. Now the first are in the Bill of 175 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:33,640 Rights, the 1st 10 amendments of the Constitution, which all of 176 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:37,080 you guys know are heavily influenced by a judeo-christian 177 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:38,840 worldview. And this is an 178 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:40,120 oversimplification. Please. 179 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:43,280 So please don't write me about this when people say a 180 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:47,160 judeo-christian worldview or a judeo-christian work ethic, or 181 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:50,240 anytime you hear somebody kind of saying that this is it in its 182 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,920 most simplistic terms, OK, overly simplified. 183 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,920 If you were to read the Old Testament as God's word to the 184 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:03,480 Jews, and if you were to read the New Testament as God's word 185 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:08,200 to Jesus followers, you would have a Judeo Old Testament 186 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:10,600 Christian New Testament worldview. 187 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:13,200 That if you were to pick up the Old Testament and put it over 188 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,720 your left eye and the New Testament and put it over your 189 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:19,080 right eye, it would create a lens through which you would see 190 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,000 the world, a judeo-christian worldview. 191 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:23,680 That's what they're actually saying. 192 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:27,280 And our Bill of Rights, our governmental system was heavily 193 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,680 influenced through a judeo-christian worldview. 194 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,080 So say what you want to say about America, but living in 195 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,840 America is an incredible privilege and we have all 196 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,680 benefited drastically from it. Those of you who have traveled 197 00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:47,000 widely on vacations, and even more specifically on mission 198 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,080 trips, have probably come to the conclusion that there really 199 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:55,400 isn't a better place to live. And we can get upset at our 200 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:57,640 leaders, and we can disagree with them passionately. 201 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:00,280 And we can let them know that they have messed up. 202 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:04,360 And we can do so knowing that we are protected legally in our 203 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:08,320 right to do so. You can't do that in a lot of 204 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:13,600 countries. Try having your own opinion. 205 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:18,680 Try having a Bill of Rights that protect you like our laws 206 00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:22,360 protect you. Try living out your faith or 207 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:25,160 saying you disagree with the leaders in India, North Korea, 208 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,520 China, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Bahrain, I could 209 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:32,400 go on and on. So while America has her flaws, 210 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:35,720 we should still be thankful for her, thankful to those who have 211 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,880 led her, thankful to those who lead her, and especially 212 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:41,520 thankful to those who defend her. 213 00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:46,640 When our Constitution was completed, George Washington 214 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:51,120 made this statement. I do not expect the Constitution 215 00:11:51,400 --> 00:12:00,160 to last more than 20 years and 237 years later it is the oldest 216 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,920 written active constitution in the world. 217 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:08,920 Now all this is to set us up. For this part, let's talk about 218 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:12,240 the separation of church and state. 219 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:18,320 If what the founders had as their goal was to keep the 220 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:23,200 church out of the state, I need you to know they did a really, 221 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:27,640 really bad job. Oftentimes when I'm interacting 222 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:29,480 with people, they say, well, that's separation of church and 223 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:31,920 state. And what they mean is, is that 224 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:35,080 there is can be nothing biblical, nothing Christian, 225 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:39,400 nothing religious at all affiliated with anything that is 226 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:41,840 a part of our government or our schools. 227 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:45,520 And if that was what the framers of our Constitution, if that is 228 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:48,640 what the guys who were participating in the founding of 229 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:52,120 our country meant, I need you to know they did a really, really, 230 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:55,280 really like horribly bad job of living that out. 231 00:12:55,280 --> 00:13:00,000 Let me show you in a pretty important document, we'll call 232 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,920 it for just giggles, the Declaration of Independence. 233 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,920 It states that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that 234 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,360 all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their 235 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:14,120 Creator. You know what that is? 236 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:17,640 That's religious talk. That's church talk. 237 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:21,760 What did this Creator endow them with? 238 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:27,400 With certain unalienable rights. Rights are of life, Liberty and 239 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:31,440 the pursuit of Happiness. And that to secure these rights, 240 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,760 governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers 241 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:36,880 from the consent of the governed. 242 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:41,000 This is religious talk in the Declaration of Independence. 243 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:43,960 Or how about this one? Lincoln in his Gettysburg 244 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:48,520 Address, after the four score and seven years ago our fathers 245 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:51,160 brought forth upon this continent a new nation. 246 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:54,680 Stated plainly at the end of his address are these words, that 247 00:13:54,680 --> 00:14:01,280 this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that 248 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,200 government of the people by the people and for the people shall 249 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:08,480 not perish from the earth. Religious talk. 250 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:13,640 Let's go deeper in the US Capitol building, a pretty 251 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:16,920 governmental building. Do you know what they have a 252 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,320 Chapel. Do you know what you do in a 253 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:23,920 Chapel chapeling? You know what chapeling consists 254 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:29,080 of prayer and worship to what's the word God? 255 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,080 In fact, they have a stained glass window with George 256 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:35,480 Washington kneeling in prayer with and I know this is going to 257 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:36,960 mess you up. Those of you who are for the 258 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:40,960 separation of church and state, they have these words written 259 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:45,480 underneath the window that stained glass in the US Capitol 260 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:49,200 building. Preserve me, O God, in thee do I 261 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:53,200 put my trust. That's Psalm 16 one, and I'm 262 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:54,840 telling you, they're going to do something else that's going to 263 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:56,800 really frustrate you if you're big into the separation of 264 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:58,960 church and state, because our political leaders have been 265 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:03,200 doing an awful lot of Bible in. Because right here is a Bible, 266 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:06,720 and it's open to the 23rd Psalm where we talk about where people 267 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:09,080 get an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 268 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:10,920 It's right there in the US Capitol building. 269 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:14,200 Like I told you, if they're trying to keep Jesus out of the 270 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:18,080 politics, they sucked at it. In fact, if you were to go into 271 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:20,240 the House of House of Representatives, behind the 272 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:24,880 speaker's podium, printed or scribed into the wall, are these 273 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,680 words in God? We. 274 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:30,240 Yeah. It's also on your money. 275 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:32,160 Have you noticed that? I haven't. 276 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:34,720 I don't have a whole lot of money, but I keep an emergency 277 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,360 $100 bill. Back when $100 would really get 278 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:40,120 you out of an emergency. Now it gets you like a Kit Kat, 279 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:42,120 some Skittles and a glass of milk. 280 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,160 Like, you know, I went to register the other day. 281 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:46,800 You want a gallon or you just want a cup? 282 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:48,120 And I was like, yeah, I brought my own cup. 283 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:51,240 I mean, just pour it in there. 72 dollars. 284 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:53,920 Yeah. Anyhow, printed on your money. 285 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:56,440 Wouldn't it weird for the separation of church and state 286 00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:58,640 that our government decided to put God on our money? 287 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:04,400 Just saying, if you were to go into the Rotunda of the US 288 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:07,080 Capitol building, there are eight large, beautiful 289 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:09,880 paintings. And two of them, I'll be honest 290 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:13,200 with you, pretty religious. One of them is the Baptism of 291 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,920 Pocahontas. Pretty religious. 292 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,160 Baptisms are kind of a church thing. 293 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:22,480 Not a lot of baptisms, you know, Stop. 294 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:27,480 Stick to the script, OK? I told you I got it right here. 295 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:31,680 OK Or how about this one? There is Pilgrim leader William 296 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:36,200 Brewster holding an open Bible with the words the New Testament 297 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:40,240 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 298 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:42,320 This is in the US Capitol building. 299 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:44,400 OK, You're like, OK, that's maybe one building. 300 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:46,840 OK, let's keep going. The Library of Congress has 301 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,680 these words chiseled into the walls. 302 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:54,000 John 15 The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness 303 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:57,520 comprehendeth it not. This is King James Version 304 00:16:57,520 --> 00:16:58,920 stuff. Obviously they didn't have the 305 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:01,560 cool versions of the Bible that we have today, so we're going 306 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:03,520 old school for a little bit. But that's just because what 307 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,760 they carved on the wall. Proverbs 47 Wisdom is the 308 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:10,359 principal thing, and therefore get wisdom with all thy getting, 309 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:15,280 get understanding. Chiseled onto the walls of our 310 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,280 government are these religious words. 311 00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:20,359 How about this one? Micah 68? 312 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:24,240 What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, to love 313 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,640 mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 314 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:30,280 Psalm 19 One the heavens declare the glory of God, and the 315 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:35,920 ferment showeth his handiwork. The Library of Congress also has 316 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:41,160 a statue, hate to bring this up, of Moses, who? 317 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:45,560 Pretty religious. And guess what? 318 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,000 He's holding the 10 commandments. 319 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:49,560 You know what else they have in there? 320 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:54,760 A statue of Paul. You know, the guy who wrote half 321 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:58,600 the New Testament. All right, if you were to go to 322 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:01,120 the Supreme Court building, you know what you'd find? 323 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:05,120 At the top of the east entrance are the images of three 324 00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:09,360 lawgivers, Moses of Israel, Confucius of China, and Solon of 325 00:18:09,360 --> 00:18:11,800 Greece. Moses is the central and largest 326 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:13,000 figure. And guess what he's holding? 327 00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:16,640 He's holding the 10 commandments on the wooden doors to the main 328 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:19,440 entrance of the courtroom. And on the outer bronze doors 329 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:21,040 are images of the 10 Commandments. 330 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:24,520 The Great Hall of the Supreme Court features images of Moses. 331 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,280 There's another image of Moses on the outside of the building. 332 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:31,080 He's inscribed between two lamps signifying the giving of light. 333 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,120 If you were to go to the Washington Monument, I could do 334 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:35,520 this all day. If you were to go to the 335 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,320 Washington Monument, you would notice it is filled with 336 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:42,960 references of God and the Bible. In fact, a Bible is enclosed in 337 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,000 a capsule in the monument's cornerstone. 338 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:50,600 Inscribed on the east face of the very top of the capstone is 339 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:55,200 a 6.5 aluminum capstone. If you've ever seen pictures of 340 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:57,560 it where like there's this point that's gleaming on the top of 341 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:02,120 the Washington Monument, that is the 6 1/2 LB aluminum capstone 342 00:19:02,120 --> 00:19:04,080 that's pointed on the eastern side of it. 343 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,520 The side that faces the sun, the part that gleams in the sun are 344 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:12,280 written. These words Laos deo praise be 345 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:16,200 to God. Many of the 36,000 marble and 346 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:20,280 granite stones are inscribed with Bible verses and references 347 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:25,120 to God, such as the following Exodus 2826 Holiness to the Lord 348 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,680 John 539. Search the scriptures or 349 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:31,560 Proverbs 10/7. The memory of the just is 350 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:35,440 blessed or Proverbs 22 six. Train up a child in the way he 351 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,160 should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. 352 00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:40,120 In other words, when they were building the Washington 353 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:43,200 Monument, they were doing the exact same thing that we do when 354 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:45,880 we start a campus. Build a stage and put in steps. 355 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:48,200 They wrote scripture all over it. 356 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:53,120 The founders of America were never trying to keep religion 357 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:55,240 out of the state. They were trying to keep the 358 00:19:55,240 --> 00:20:00,040 state out of religion. This was in direct response. 359 00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:02,120 Thank you. They did it. 360 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:05,080 I'm just telling you about it. I wasn't there. 361 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:10,200 This was in direct response to the abuse imposed by their 362 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:15,480 British overlords in 1534. King Henry pushed through what 363 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,320 is this is, and how bold do you have to be to do this? 364 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:21,960 This is what he did. He pushed through the Act of 365 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,520 Supremacy. Which made him and all of his 366 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:29,960 heirs supreme head of the Church of England. 367 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,360 Hear me. Our founders were trying to keep 368 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:36,840 kings from being popes and popes from being kings. 369 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,760 They were trying to make sure that the government did not 370 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:45,680 establish for itself its own religion and was able to bring 371 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:49,920 forth the powers of the government to force people into 372 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:52,920 that religion. They were not trying to keep 373 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:55,600 faith out of politics. They were trying to keep 374 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:59,320 politics out of your faith. Why does this matter? 375 00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:03,080 The reason I'm telling you all this is because today secular 376 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:07,000 progressives will try to shame you into thinking that you 377 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:10,360 cannot bring your theology into the voting booth if you're going 378 00:21:10,360 --> 00:21:13,560 to vote. You'll hear them say don't force 379 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:16,720 your beliefs on people who don't share them. 380 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:21,720 And yet at the same time, what they are in effect doing is 381 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:27,040 forcing their beliefs on you. For instance, right now there 382 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:30,280 are people pushing for the reduction of parental rights 383 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:33,120 around issues of gender and sexuality. 384 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:35,360 And so they're going to scream at you. 385 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:39,280 You're trying to impose your morality on other people without 386 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:43,560 realizing, or more likely not admitting that they are doing 387 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:50,680 the very same thing in America. Your rights are that you get to 388 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:55,120 bring your worldview into the booth just like they do. 389 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:59,960 Take the issue of abortion. Now, I hate using this as an 390 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:03,120 illustration, but this is probably the most clarifying 391 00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:06,280 example that I can give. And if you are a part of this 392 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:09,160 church for any period of time, we have preached on this issue 393 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:12,320 and what I believe to be a very kind, caring and compassionate 394 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:15,240 way. And so please do not hear this 395 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,720 from your church as us trying to score cheap points, but trying 396 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,200 to illustrate a very serious point. 397 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:25,480 What people tell you is that if you oppose abortion, you are 398 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:32,560 imposing your morality on a woman without acknowledging that 399 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:37,200 if they get their way, they are imposing their morality on the 400 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,520 baby. Josh Howerton says it this way. 401 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:45,040 It is never the question about is never been about whether or 402 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:50,800 not morality gets legislated, It's whose morality gets 403 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:54,640 legislated. So when you and I vote in a 404 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:58,000 government that is answerable to the people, in a government that 405 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:01,880 is of the people, by the people, for the people, you get to bring 406 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:07,000 your worldview into the booth just like everyone else. 407 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,800 And if you get to bring your worldview into the voting booth 408 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:16,520 as a Christian, make sure your worldview is biblical. 409 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:20,880 Make sure your view of the world is cross shaped and full of both 410 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:23,840 grace and truth. And just as a quick reminder, 411 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:26,800 here are some tenets of our faith. 412 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:31,640 Christians have a belief in human dignity. 413 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:38,240 Christians believe that every person is made in the image of 414 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:44,040 God and have intrinsic, eternal and undeniable value. 415 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,320 That means it is Christians. We love and value people from 416 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:51,200 womb to tomb. Who does this include? 417 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:56,480 Everyone. Even those who don't have the 418 00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:04,360 same political views as us. Even our enemies, Preston 419 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:07,520 Sprinkle writes. Jesus's command to love your 420 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:11,840 enemies was the most popular verse in the early church. 421 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:16,560 It was quoted 26 places by 10 different writers in the 1st 300 422 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:20,000 years of Christianity, which makes it the most celebrated 423 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,360 command among 1st century Christians. 424 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:28,600 Matthew 544, Love your enemies was the so-called John 316 of 425 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:33,440 the early church and enemy love was the hallmark of the 426 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,080 Christian faith. Right now, you guys all know 427 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:39,560 about John 316. You probably got an aunt and a 428 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:43,120 cousin and a brother who's got a John 316 tattoo somewhere on 429 00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:45,320 their body. You've been to a family member's 430 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:49,480 house for Thanksgiving and there is the John 316 Hobby Lobby nook 431 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,480 that she has decorated. Some of them have like the big 432 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,680 circle thing with like the the doily and some people have just 433 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,320 the painting with like the gathered hands and pray and 434 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:01,520 they've got John 316. If you were to go to a 1st 435 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:05,520 century church, they'd have gone to the 1st century Hobby Lobby 436 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:07,840 and they've got the enemy love banner. 437 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,640 This is my enemy love corner. Enemies gather here. 438 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,280 OK, eat, pray, enemy. OK. 439 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:18,200 That's what they they've been all about it. 440 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:23,760 Think about this. Christians were known for how 441 00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:26,640 they loved and treated their enemies. 442 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:34,880 How far we've fallen, Christians, the way we talk 443 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:40,040 about Republicans and Democrats is not becoming The way we talk 444 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:43,280 about President Trump and President Biden is at times 445 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:48,080 shameful. They are image bearers. 446 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:55,360 God loves President Biden. God loves President Trump more 447 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:58,720 than you love your son or your daughter. 448 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:06,800 Jesus bled and suffered on the cross for them as much as He 449 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:13,120 suffered and bled for you. James three says this. 450 00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:16,080 I'll just do the 1st 2 verses with the tongue. 451 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:20,320 We praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human 452 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:23,960 beings who have been made in God's likeness. 453 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:28,680 Out of the same mouth come praises and cursing. 454 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:34,280 My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 455 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:43,440 Christians have a belief in the sinfulness of man. 456 00:26:44,120 --> 00:26:49,000 We are fully aware of how messed up and jacked up people are 457 00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:54,400 because we own mirrors. We've seen ourselves. 458 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,880 We know what people are capable of. 459 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:01,560 Therefore, you and I should not be surprised when systems 460 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:05,600 created by sinners create sinful experiences and produce sinful 461 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:07,320 results. So what do we do when those 462 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,880 things happen? We do what Christians do when 463 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:13,160 people mess up. We love them, confront them, and 464 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:15,840 hold them accountable. This is an area where every 465 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:19,560 single one of us could improve. We are so busy defending our 466 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:23,680 candidate and accusing the other party of whatever they're doing 467 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:26,600 that our credibility ends up getting hammered. 468 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:29,880 You know what we should do if we were Christians? 469 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:33,160 If you like a particular candidate or you like a 470 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,400 particular party platform, you know, what would really like set 471 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,240 you apart and make you come across as incredibly mature and 472 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:43,880 thoughtful is if you're like a person who leans Republican, 473 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:48,760 when Donald Trump does something stupid, go, yeah, he did 474 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:52,360 something stupid. We got, we got that one wrong. 475 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:56,440 Hey, I mean, I like these five things in our party platform, 476 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:58,880 but I really don't like these three things. 477 00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:01,920 If you're a person who's a Christian and you, you lean 478 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:04,720 Democrat, you'd be like, man, when when Joe Biden did that, he 479 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:07,960 missed it. I hated that too. 480 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:11,960 There's something in your party platform. 481 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:14,440 You're like, look, the reason I kind of lean Democrat is for 482 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:17,360 these five things, but I absolutely hate like these two 483 00:28:17,360 --> 00:28:20,240 or three things. You know what that does? 484 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:23,960 It gives you credibility. But right now, we are so aligned 485 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:27,160 to our parties that we can't even admit when our party gets 486 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:29,320 it wrong. But we know full well that our 487 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,280 parties get it wrong because our parties aren't Jesus, and Jesus 488 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:34,120 wouldn't have been on the cross if people actually had it 489 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:35,480 figured out and had everything together. 490 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:38,440 So the fact that Jesus exists means that President Trump and 491 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:41,240 President Biden and Republicans and Democrats get it wrong 492 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:43,240 sometime. And when we admit that they get 493 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,640 it wrong sometime, it's just evidence that the gospel of 494 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:51,760 Jesus Christ is in effect. Real Christians believe deeply 495 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:56,920 in neighbor love. That means that someone's 496 00:28:56,920 --> 00:29:00,880 gender, political affiliation, sexual orientation, life 497 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,880 choices, religion, ethnicity, race, and present circumstances 498 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:09,240 are not nearly as important to us as the answer to this 499 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:12,200 question. Do they need love? 500 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:18,080 Do they need help? Do they need Jesus? 501 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:20,520 Mark chapter 12 verse 31 says this. 502 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:23,360 The 2nd is this. Love your neighbor as yourself. 503 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:25,600 There is no commandment greater than these. 504 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:27,680 The first one is love the Lord you God with all your heart, 505 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:30,920 mind, soul and strength. Paul writes to the church in 506 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:35,720 Philippi, Philippians chapter 2. Read through this thinking about 507 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:38,800 how you voted in the past. This is the exercise I did this 508 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:41,480 week. Do nothing out of selfish 509 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:47,920 ambition, oops, or vain conceit, oops. 510 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:53,600 Rather in humility, value others above yourselves, oops. 511 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:58,520 Not looking to your own interests, oops, but each of you 512 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:01,560 looking to the interest of the others. 513 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:07,400 Our political allegiance and vote should consider the needs 514 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:12,520 of others before ourselves. It should consider their good 515 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:17,360 first and foremost. We spend a lot of time voting in 516 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:21,240 our own interests. If you're a teacher, you vote in 517 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:23,160 your interests. If you're a fireman or a police 518 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:24,920 officer, you vote in your interest. 519 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,000 If you're a union person, you vote in the interest of the 520 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,000 union. If you're not a union person, 521 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:30,600 you vote against the interests of the union. 522 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:33,480 If you're a marginalized group, you vote for a candidate who 523 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:35,880 promises to unmarginalized your marginalized group. 524 00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:38,240 If you're a self-employed person, you vote in the best 525 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:39,520 interest of the self-employed people. 526 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:41,840 If you're a rich person, you vote in the interest of you be 527 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:43,800 able to keep your money. If you're a poor person, you 528 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:45,920 figure out how to get other people's money, and you vote for 529 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:47,280 a president who promises to give you that. 530 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:50,560 We all vote in our own interests. 531 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:58,760 What if we were to vote thinking, How do I leverage my 532 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:01,400 vote for the maximum glory of God? 533 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:06,040 How do I leverage my vote in a way that is for others? 534 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:12,520 Christians hold fast to the example and the ways of Christ. 535 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:19,160 While it may feel at times like we are at war, we do not wage 536 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:25,600 war as the world does. Our fight is spiritual in nature 537 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,160 and sometimes we can take the bait. 538 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:31,080 We can get lured into taking matters into our own hands, 539 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:35,520 getting our hands dirty when by any means necessary, and judge 540 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:40,000 our candidates by their wins and not their tactics. 541 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:47,840 Or we can trust and believe that God's way really is the best 542 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:53,640 way, That our character matters, our witness matters, and our 543 00:31:53,640 --> 00:32:01,120 tactics of love and mercy and truth and grace and prayer are 544 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:07,520 indeed powerful. And they are the godly path 545 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:12,560 forward. Several elections ago I was 546 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:16,640 watching 2 candidates get interviewed about a particular 547 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:23,960 issue and its intersection with their faith journey and one of 548 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:29,560 them answered with incredibly eloquent words and basically 549 00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:36,760 said my faith says that this is wrong, but my faith is personal 550 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,800 and I promise not to take my faith to work. 551 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:50,160 And I was livid. I was so incredibly upset. 552 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:54,320 How could you possibly keep your faith at home? 553 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:59,440 I'm voting for you because I want you to take your faith into 554 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:01,840 the office. I want you to take your faith 555 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:04,640 into politics. I want to know that you're the 556 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:07,800 things that you believe about God are good and that you want 557 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:10,520 to make sure that you are doing things in alignment with him. 558 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:13,240 That's the same right that everybody else gets. 559 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:16,840 If everybody gets to take their atheism into the White House, if 560 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,080 everybody gets to take their particular brand of religion 561 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:21,280 into the White House, I want you to take yours too. 562 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:24,600 You get to take your worldview. How could you possibly leave 563 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:27,200 your faith at home? Oh, sticked. 564 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:35,360 And I bet you can guess if I get warmed up, I'm pretty warm and 565 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:41,880 man, I, I, I. And then I was pretty sad 566 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:51,880 because while I haven't said what he said, I have done what 567 00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:56,840 he did. I have kept Jesus out of certain 568 00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:03,640 parts of my life. He was just honest about it. 569 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:10,920 Is there an area of your life that you've kept off limits to 570 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:15,920 Jesus? How's that working for you? 571 00:34:18,679 --> 00:34:22,120 I love Jesus. Whoa, I just don't want him in 572 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:27,679 my politics. How's that working for you, man? 573 00:34:27,679 --> 00:34:31,679 I'm a big fan of Jesus, but Jesus super personal. 574 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:34,080 So I'm not going to bring Jesus into my marriage. 575 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:39,440 How's that working for you? You decide not to bring Jesus 576 00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:42,199 into your online consumption. How's that working for you? 577 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:45,239 I'm not going to bring Jesus into my business. 578 00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:48,280 How's that working for you? I'm not going to bring Jesus 579 00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:50,360 into my business dealings, my parenting. 580 00:34:50,360 --> 00:34:52,960 How's that working for you? I'm not going to bring Jesus 581 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:56,800 into my money, my friendships. How's that working for you? 582 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:03,160 Our actions betray us. The Bible is incredibly clear 583 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:08,880 that God is pleased with faith. And when you and I choose to 584 00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,920 believe that God's way is the best way, it becomes our 585 00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:15,200 witness, our story. It's our power. 586 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:19,280 It's our means of impact. That's why Jesus says in Matthew 587 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:26,480 chapter 6, seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, 588 00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:30,480 and all these things will be given to you as well. 589 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:36,240 Satan wants you to keep your faith separate from your vote. 590 00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:38,400 If you're going to vote, don't take the bait. 591 00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:43,120 Satan wants you to keep your faith separate from your life, 592 00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:48,520 Don't take the bait. Satan wants you to chase godly 593 00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:52,120 things, but to do so in worldly ways and with worldly 594 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:54,720 strategies. Don't take the bait. 595 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,280 Satan wants you to follow your candidate better than you follow 596 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:01,520 God. Don't take the bait. 597 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:04,880 Satan wants you to promote your candidate more than you promote 598 00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:06,560 God. Don't take the bait. 599 00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:10,360 Satan wants you to defend your candidate more than you defend 600 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:12,120 Jesus. Don't take the bait. 601 00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:15,120 Satan wants you to know more about the amendments to the 602 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,000 Constitution than the 10 commandments. 603 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:19,320 Don't take the bait, He wants you to know. 604 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:22,480 Satan wants you to know way more about the Supreme Court than 605 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:26,320 about the Sermon on the Mount. Don't take the bait. 606 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:29,680 He wants you to know more about your party platform than you 607 00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:31,720 know how to lead someone to Christ. 608 00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:37,240 Don't take the bait. And he wants you to know more 609 00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:41,520 about your American rights than your Christian responsibilities. 610 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:47,960 Don't take the bait. What Satan tries to get us to 611 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:54,360 believe is that we have to treat our party platforms and our 612 00:36:54,360 --> 00:37:01,840 political politicians as God. But being elected into office 613 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:07,200 doesn't make you a God. Raising from the dead does. 614 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:11,400 So seek His Kingdom and see what happens. 615 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:12,840 We're moving to a time of decision. 616 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,960 To those of you who have yet to start an intimate, personal 617 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:33,400 relationship with Jesus Christ, it's Election Day and Jesus is 618 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:38,040 not nearly as concerned about who occupies the White House as 619 00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:41,000 He is about who occupies your house. 620 00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:45,360 And in the center of your house is your heart. 621 00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:49,080 And he stands at the door and he knocks. 622 00:37:49,720 --> 00:37:55,800 Will you let him in? It's Election Day and you can 623 00:37:55,800 --> 00:38:02,080 continue to live life on your own terms, or you could 624 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:08,120 surrender and turn over power and control to Him. 625 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:12,640 And the testimony not just to the people who call the crossing 626 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:16,720 home, but by millions of Christians worldwide or in 627 00:38:16,720 --> 00:38:20,160 America and billions of Christians worldwide, can be 628 00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:23,840 summed up in two statements. That making Jesus the Lord and 629 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:26,520 Savior of their life was the single greatest decision that 630 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:28,720 they ever made. And their biggest regret is that 631 00:38:28,720 --> 00:38:31,720 they didn't do it sooner. Why are you holding it off? 632 00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:46,360 Why are you waiting? If you were a country, you 633 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:52,160 wouldn't want to live there. Your policies are bad, your 634 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:57,640 roads are bad, your economy's bad, your justice system's bad. 635 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:02,280 If you were a country, you wouldn't want to live there. 636 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:11,920 And Jesus says I'll take it and watch what I can do with it. 637 00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:20,960 I'd love to rain from there. If you were to look at my life, 638 00:39:22,200 --> 00:39:29,000 if you were to take a hard look at your life, the areas of your 639 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:31,800 life that you've turned over to him look completely different 640 00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:38,400 than the areas that you haven't. I know there's some of you who 641 00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:40,400 are going, Clayton. I would love to start that 642 00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:43,320 relationship with Jesus. But I got to be honest with you, 643 00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:46,480 there's just some stuff in me that is just so jacked up, so 644 00:39:46,480 --> 00:39:49,200 messed up. I just can't see a path forward 645 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:52,640 with Jesus coming in. This week I was in, I was in 646 00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:59,880 Hebrews in my morning time and I got into Hebrews 4 and it says 647 00:39:59,880 --> 00:40:03,840 nothing in all of creation is hidden from God's sight. 648 00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:09,200 Everything is uncovered and laid bare before him to whom we will 649 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:13,640 give an account. That means that there is nothing 650 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:17,080 that has happened in your life, nothing that took place in your 651 00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:20,320 past, nothing that you are doing in your present. 652 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:26,960 That has escaped the notice of God and knowing you in ways that 653 00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:33,440 nobody else could possibly ever know, and knowing better than 654 00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:39,880 everybody else all the reasons not to, He still extends His 655 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:47,920 love to you. I've never known love like that. 656 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:56,240 My wife, she loves me, but she doesn't know everything about 657 00:40:56,240 --> 00:40:58,840 me. She doesn't know every thought 658 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:00,400 that I've ever had go through my head. 659 00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:04,320 I've never experienced love like that. 660 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:09,480 That the person who knows me, he knows all the things that I've 661 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:14,000 done that are bad, that I've forgotten that I did, and he 662 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:19,920 still promises to come and reign and redeem and restore. 663 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:24,480 Tell you what, if you don't have a relationship with Jesus 664 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:30,560 Christ, you're missing out. If you're here today and you're 665 00:41:30,560 --> 00:41:33,120 going, you know what, it's time for somebody else to be in 666 00:41:33,120 --> 00:41:36,680 charge. You could start a peace treaty 667 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:42,080 with the King of Kings today. Right over there underneath that 668 00:41:42,080 --> 00:41:43,480 screen, there's going to be two people. 669 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:46,120 While people around you stand and sing and some of them come 670 00:41:46,120 --> 00:41:49,200 to the steps and pray, you could walk right over there and begin 671 00:41:49,200 --> 00:41:52,360 asking some questions and getting some answers, and you 672 00:41:52,360 --> 00:41:57,080 could begin the process of electing a king that will change 673 00:41:57,080 --> 00:42:00,760 everything to the rest of you in the room, to those of you who 674 00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:03,760 already have a relationship with Jesus Christ, it's Election Day 675 00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:07,120 for us too. Because every single day we have 676 00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:10,640 to choose who's going to win, our flesh, our spirit, us, or 677 00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:13,440 God. Every single day you have a 678 00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:15,160 choice. Are you going to follow after 679 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:20,880 Him or run from Him, surrender to Him or fight against Him? 680 00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:27,440 And what's the area of your life that you haven't turned over to 681 00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:30,080 Him? In the areas of my life, turned 682 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:34,800 over to Christ, there is peace and there is order and there is 683 00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:38,680 potential. In the areas I have not turned 684 00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:42,400 over to Him, there is conflict, there is chaos. 685 00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:48,880 Isn't it weird to say that we've made Jesus Christ our Lord and 686 00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:50,800 Savior? We've kind of focused on Savior. 687 00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:53,440 When I die, I'm not going to go to hell. 688 00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:56,720 I'm going to go to heaven. I have placed my eternity in his 689 00:42:56,720 --> 00:43:01,360 hands. And then it's like, but yeah, 690 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:03,320 but my marriage, I think I'm going to handle that one. 691 00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:08,600 My parenting, my finances, I think that's a bad trade. 692 00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:12,880 If you can trust Him with your eternity, you can trust Him with 693 00:43:12,920 --> 00:43:18,640 everything else. But you got to choose. 694 00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:22,600 It's Election Day. Would you guys stand with me? 695 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:26,200 Heavenly Father, I'm asking you to do a work right now in our 696 00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:30,240 church, in the lives and hearts of people that can hear my 697 00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:33,560 voice, not just in this room, but watching online. 698 00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:37,760 Now that you would take ground in ways that only you can take 699 00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:41,800 ground. Now that you would give us the 700 00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:45,200 strength to identify and repent of the areas that we haven't 701 00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:49,320 turned over to you and God, that we live differently because of 702 00:43:49,320 --> 00:43:51,200 you. Your name I pray. 703 00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:51,800 Amen.